


Curiosity Trumps Common Courtesy

by randomcanbian



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 11:46:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2731292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomcanbian/pseuds/randomcanbian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Around eight years after Season 1.</p><p>Sophie is one of Laura's colleagues, and she wants to know just who Carmilla Karnstein is to the newbie journalist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Curiosity Trumps Common Courtesy

**Author's Note:**

> I keep thinking about Hollstein, if ever Laura decides to stay mortal and go through as normal a life as she can. (They stay with each other because they love each other with their whole being, but Laura fears immortality (rightly so), and Carmilla would only let Laura give up her humanity if it was what she wanted, so yeah haha)

The whole office is on their lunch break; most of your colleagues are eating in the cafeteria or buying take-out from the numerous stores surrounding your building, and it’s just you and the newbie in the wide office floor. You’re determined to finish this article within the hour, even if it means skipping lunch just this once (you’ve prepared a sandwich, anyway); Laura, you think, may be thinking the same, judging by the intense look she’s giving the screen of her laptop as she types.

You like her, Laura Hollis. She’s very eager, very polite, and quite the talented investigative journalist, despite her rookie status. You look forward to what she’ll write with a couple of years in her.

*

You’re mulling over the phrasing of a transition sentence when you hear someone walking in. It’s most likely Raj, you think, since he has a tendency to leave his wallet no matter how many times you remind him. Looking up, however, you find that it is not Raj but a stunning young woman who, you are certain, does not work here.

“Darling, are you lost?” you ask. You can see her opening her mouth to answer, but then—

“Carmilla!”

Laura waves this Carmilla over to her desk, simultaneously introducing you two to each other. “Carmilla, this is Sophie Relampagos, Sophie this is Carmilla Karnstein,” she says, and you shoot a smile to the girl, as she gives you a polite nod. You wait for Laura to divulge her relationship to Carmilla (a niece? a family friend?), but her attention is completely on the younger woman. You suppose you’ll have to ask her later.

“Don’t you have class?” you hear Laura ask, as you finally move on to the next paragraph in your article.

“If you checked your phone, you’d have known that my professor had a sudden bout of flu. I also asked if you wanted to have lunch together, but you never replied, so I came to take you away from whatever it was that had you too busy to check your phone.”

“Sorry Carm,” Laura says sheepishly. “It’s this article, it’s so—let’s talk about it over lunch.”

“Let’s.”

From the corner of your eye you can see Laura standing from her seat and exiting her cubicle.

“Sophie, Carmilla and I, we’ll be Bon Chon. If JM comes and asks about column he asked me to look at, tell him it’s in the USB on top of my laptop.”

“Sure thing, Laura,” you say. To Carmilla, you add, “Good to meet you, Carmilla.”

“You as well, Ma’am.”

You continue with your article as they exit the room.

*

It’s later in the day, a few minutes after eight, and you’re in the middle of putting away everything for the night when you remember.

“Carmilla’s quite the beautiful young woman, isn’t she,” you begin.

Laura lets out a breath, something you can only describe as a fond scoff, as she arranges the papers she has on her desk.

“Why?”

Laura smiles and shakes her head. “You have no idea how often people say that. It gets tiring, having to ward off flirtatious strangers and the more-than-occasional creepy guy.”

You laugh. “I can relate. My niece has a new boyfriend, and I can barely stop myself from growling whenever my sister brings him up. The parental instinct to protect one’s young, albeit never being a parent myself.”

An ominous feeling settles in your stomach when Laura doesn’t reply. You glance to her cubicle and find her frozen, staring into empty space.

“I’m sorry, did I—did I say something wrong?”

She swallows noticeably, and that, with the shaky smile she gives you, answers the question more truthfully than what she replies.

“No, no, I just—I think I left a tap open in my apartment. I have to go before it floods, or something.” Laura hastily gathers her things.

“See you tomorrow, Sophie,” she says as she walks past you.

You chew on your lip, wondering what was it you said that made Laura so.

It has something to do with Carmilla, that’s all you’re sure of.


End file.
